The invention relates to a knife, especially a hoof knife with a cutting blade element that is moveably mounted in a handle element, wherein the cutting blade element is at least partially inserted into a guide channel of the handle element and is fixed in the handle element.
Knives, in particular knives with longitudinally moveable blades, are known in the art and are used for a variety of purposes. In particular, the German patent specification 197 40 875 C1 discloses a knife with a moveable blade, in which the blade, which is mounted in a handle and is moveable in the longitudinal direction of the handle, features an opening, in which a locking pin is mounted that is moveable in its axial direction and which serves as a lever to move the blade. The locking pin is moveable in a slot provided on the handle side, wherein the slot is enlarged on its front end to form a recess, into which the locking pin can engage to lock the blade in the extended position. The locking pin is designed in three parts, i.e. one top part forming the lever, one middle part and one lower part. To lock the blade in the extended position, the locking pin is moveable in its axial direction by applying manual pressure to the upper part so that the upper part engages in the recess provided on the one side of the handle and the lower part engages in a hole provided in the other side of the handle.
Furthermore, hoof knives for trimming animal hooves, in particular horse hooves, are known that feature different blade and edge shapes for cutting different areas of the hoof. The blade of these hoof knives is rigidly connected by means of at least two fastening means, for example screw or rivet connecting elements, with the handle element of the hoof knife. A disadvantage of the rigid connection of the blade with the handle element is that all hard or rough cutting motions, for example when trimming a horse's hoof, are absorbed by the wrist of the farrier. This means that the wrist is subjected to an enormous strain when trimming the hoof using conventional hoof knifes, resulting in rapid fatigue and permanent damage to the wrist of the farrier.
It is an object of the present invention to present a knife, in particular a hoof knife, which protects the wrist of the user even during hard and rough cutting motions and therefore produces a comfortable cutting effect.